I saw this Beautiful Demoiselle, the first dragonfly of the year in the garden, then found it dead. Sadly I don’t get many dragonflies at all, and have only recorded 5 species to date. Wish I had space for a better pond.
#204 Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo)
Brown Rot fungus has infected all the plums on my plum tree this year. While there was a lot of blossom on the tree, perhaps a lack of pollinators early in the year meant that there were few fruits. And now these are all lost. The fungus spreads in the fruit, starting from blemishes caused by insect pests, such as Codling Moth.
#803 Brown Rot (Monilinia fructicola)
Some moth trapping this weekend brought my 800 species for the garden. Some of the highlights are shown below. Of the two new macros, the Dusky Sallow is a species from the Cotswolds liking drier calcareous habitats where its caterpillars live on grasses, whereas the Dun-bar is a woodland species needing deciduous trees. Apparently the caterpillars of the Dun-bar are partly carnivorous, augmenting their plant-based diet with caterpillars of other (and even sometimes their own) species.
This caterpillar’s short life was interrupted by something. I thought at first a fungus, but after a bit of research I think the white blobs are actually insect eggs, probably from a parasitic wasp whose larvae are growing up inside the dead caterpillar. Yuck…
This tiny mirid bug is a specialist of stinging nettles, and no surprise was found in a clump of nettles that I left to grow.
#793 Liocoris tripustulatus
This is my first “dagger fly” found in the garden; so-named because of its long beak. These come for nectar, as in this case on the flowers of a bramble, but are also predators. Courtship consists of the males offering prey to females, with the most favoured prey getting the girl. There are a few species, but this one with it’s reddish coloured legs (including the thighs) is I believe one of the commoner ones.
#794 Empis opaca
It’s been pretty poor for hoverflies so far this year, but this week there area lot of Marmalade Hoverflies on flowers around the garden. Hopefully a sign of more species starting to appear. The Golden Rod is soon coming into flower, which is usually a good place to see lots of hoverflies and other insects.
#116 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
There are hardly any butterflies around during the day, but at night I seem to be doing pretty well catching moths. Last night I struck gold with a flashy Burnished Brass, a striking Shaded Broad-bar and a Scarce Footman, among seven new species. It’s not certain if the metallic marks on some moths are to deter or confuse predators, or if it’s just to look good.
This Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) is on its way to the Vale Wildlife Hospital at Beckford. It is an adult bird, but a small one and not in good condition, even I think before the cat brought it in. Luckily it had managed to get away from the cat and didn’t seem too badly hurt, although it was unable to fly. I’m not sure how the cat got it as while there are plenty of jackdaws around, including nesting in the surrounding trees, they rarely come to the ground unless there are scraps there (which there weren’t this morning). The bird seemed in heavy moult, so maybe it was already grounded? Hoping the vets at the hospital can help it recover.
These are some of the micro moths I caught recently. A couple of new species of tortrix moths, most of which seem to be found around orchards and fruit trees, of which there are many round here. Also it is the season for grass moths, so several of these appear in the catch.
I caught a bumper haul of moths on Friday morning, following a still, warm & overcast night. This included four elephant hawk moths, and a several Heart & Date, Large Yellow Underwing, Uncertain, Flame, Buff Ermine and other commoner moths. Among these here are some of my favourites, including four new species of macro moths for my garden list.
This green lacewing, Dichochrysa ventralis, #785, dropped into the moth trap. There are a few similar species. but this one has a black line underneath and black spots on the head, including between its antennae. The adults and larvae eat aphids, and they are more than welcome in the garden.
More moths caught at the weekend, including Small and Large elephant Hawk Moths and Cloaked Minor, another new species.
This nicely marked moth is a bit of a rarity as well. Small Ranunculus (Hecatera dysodea) was believed extinct in UK between 1914 and 1997, when it was found to be re-established in South-East England. This moth has been spreading North and West since, but there are still only a few records per year in Gloucestershire. This moth’s caterpillars are found on Prickly Lettuce, which itself found as a not-very-common weed on roadsides and disturbed ground.
These colourful beetles turn up on the lavender flowers at this time of the year. They are a non-native pest hailing originally from Southern Europe, and even though they were first found in UK as recently as the 1990’s they have managed to spread themselves right across the country. I don’t seem to get that many of them that they have become a pest.
#509 Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)
It was dry and still, but a bit cold overnight, so there weren’t too many moths in the trap this morning, but nonetheless three new species; a pug and two micros - all quite small and not very colourful.
The pug is a Currant Pug (Eupithecia assimilata), whose larval food-plant is (unsurprisingly) currant bushes. The large dark spots at the front of the wings and pale spots towards the trailing edge identify this species, which has 2 generations during the summer. Garden Pebble (Evergestis forficalis) is also double-brooded, favouring gardens and allotments where its caterpillars can be a pest on cruciferous plants (eg. cabbages). Finally the False Cacao Moth (Ephestia woodiella) has several similar relatives, but most of them are more likely to be found in food warehouses or your kitchen cupboards in the dried fruit, nuts or flour, than in the wild. Flying mostly in May-July, it seems to be becoming more common.
These two grasses, including my first new species of plant this year, were growing on the gravel pathway leading to the house. Quite a big patch of Wall Barley (Hordeum murinum) has established itself along the alley. The other grass, Fern Grass (Catapodium rigidum) is a short and suprisingly stiff grass; again a common species along roadsides and paths.
#497 Wall Barley (Hordeum murinum) and #773 Fern Grass (Catapodium rigidum)
I caught a lot of caddisflies in the moth trap last weekend, including very many Long-horned Caddisfly (Mystacides longicornis), which I didn’t photograph for some reason. The ones I did capture on my phone included a couple of new species: the mottled Hydropsyche contubernalis and the paler Oecetis ochracea with its very long antennae. The fourth one appears to be a Limnephilus type caddisfly, but I’ve no idea which one as I didn’t find a photo yet that quite matches it.
This large non-biting midge appears in the spring and summer, often in big swarms. There are a few species, but Chironomus plumosus is a large and common one, varying in colour from brown to green and this example is quite likely that species. Buzzer Midge larvae are red bloodworms that you find in a garden pond living on algae and organic matter.
Apart from the pugs, carpets and some others I covered separately, there was a great selection of moths in and around the moth trap this weekend. There were plenty that I also caught last year, but I can’t show them all, so here are the new species that I didn’t already mention in other posts. Even with all the great materials around on the web, especially the “Flying tonight” sites for Norfolk and Hampshire it still takes quite a time to go through and identify everything, and I’ve still got a few caddis flies and other non-moths I need to look at.
Passionate about nature, based in Gloucestershire UK; this site is about creating a wildlife friendly family garden and exploring the diversity of animal & plant species that share it with us.
As a nature lover and wildlife gardener I started wondering about the biodiversity in my backyard and just how many species from plants to insects to birds to mammals might live in or visit it.
Much of the wildlife in my small, village garden has been present right under my nose for years without my really appreciating it, so on the way I am learning a lot about different species and how to make a wildlife-friendly environment for them; also getting engaged more in conservation activities around Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and the Cotswolds.
My garden species tally started from zero on June 1st 2018, the target was 1000 species, which I eventually hit in June 2024. But there’s still plenty to see and learn about.
I'm very interested in your comments & advice: whether it's about the blog, some help with identification or just how to make my own little Eden better for wildlife. So please leave a comment or drop me a line if you feel like it!
Graham Tompsett
microedenproject@gmail.com
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